Hot take: I was the red flag client for 3 years before I figured it out

I used to email designers at 11pm asking for changes by 8am the next day. Thought I was being "efficient." One freelancer finally cc'd my boss on a reply that said "your deadlines are damaging my health." That was the moment I realized I was the problem. Has anyone else had that wake up call where you were the nightmare client?

3 comments

3 Comments

seth_nguyen11d ago

My brother worked at a design agency for 4 years and he still talks about clients like that. But honestly, an 11pm email is annoying, not a crime against humanity lol. Unless you were screaming or threatening people, a polite "hey any chance we can speed this up" isn't that deep. That freelancer cc'ing your boss seems extra. Maybe they were just burnt out from work in general and took it out on you. I've sent way worse emails at 2am and nobody's health got ruined.

the_richard11d ago

Yeah, @seth_nguyen, I just started blocking clients after 9pm. Works great.

the_gray8d ago

Wait, are you saying you've really sent emails worse than that and nobody cared? I mean yeah that freelancer cc'ing the boss was definitely overkill, but I gotta say blocking clients after 9pm like @the_richard does sounds smart. Not saying it's a crime, just that it builds a weird dynamic when you're answering emails at 11pm like you're on call. A polite "hey any chance we can speed this up" can still land wrong if it's the fifth one that week, you know? I've seen contractors get fired over less, just because the client started feeling hounded. It's not about the words, it's about the pattern.